Resilience phenotypes derived from an active inference account of allostasis

Within a theoretical framework of enactive allostasis, we explore active inference strategies for minimizing surprise to achieve resilience in dynamic environments. While individual differences and extrinsic protective factors traditionally account for variability in resilience trajectories following stressor exposure, the enactive model emphasizes the importance of the physical and social environment, specifically the “enactive niche,” which is both shaped by and impacts organisms living in it, accounting for variable success in allostatic prediction and accommodation. Enactive allostasis infers or predicts states of the world to minimize surprise and maintain regulation after surprise, i.e., resilience. Action policies are selected in accordance with the inferred state of a dynamic environment; those actions concurrently shape one’s environment, buffering against current and potential stressors. Through such inferential construction, multiple potential solutions exist for achieving stability within one’s enactive niche. Spanning a range of adaptive resilience strategies, we propose four phenotypes—fragile, durable, resilient, and pro-entropic (PE)—each characterized by a constellation of genetic, epigenetic, developmental, experiential, and environmental factors. Biological regulatory outcomes range from allostatic (over)load in the fragile and durable phenotypes, to allostatic recovery in resilience, and theoretically to increasing allostatic accommodation or “growth” in the proposed PE phenotype. Awareness distinguishes phenotypes by minimizing allostatically demanding surprise and engenders the cognitive and behavioral flexibility empirically associated with resilience. We further propose a role for awareness in proactively shaping one’s enactive niche to further minimize surprise. We conclude by exploring the mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity which may bolster individual resilience.